We were richly blessed today as all the leaders of the CEUM came over to bless our house. Following the Monday morning chapel service, we invited all those attending to come for a time of blessing.
Pastor Taiyeye praying
There was singing, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, reading of scripture, Ps. 127:1a Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain, sharing words of reflection and challenge from the local Regional Pastor, and powerful prayers of blessing and protection calling on the Lord to protect the inhabitants of the house from all evil. During the prayer of blessing and protection all the pastors went to different parts of the house and laid their hands on the walls. So special to be cared for like this:
Group of Pastors praying over our house
I was asked to say a few words and I shared how we want to make our home a place of hospitality in a new way than we had in the past. I referred to the way the large mission had existed and functioned prior to 1997, saying that that mission is done as we all know. “We are not going back to those days. We are entering a new era of partnership, of relationship where we need to be more closely related to each other than before. We need to understand each other better. We need to pray for each other more. To do this we need to live as neighbors to the leaders and have the opportunity for social interaction as well as the work relationships. We want our house to be a place where Congolese feel at home and prayed for. We look forward to living and working with and learning from our Congolese neighbors.”
Refreshments afterwards
Following the time of blessing and benediction we had some light refreshments for eveyrone.
It was a wonderful time. I felt richly blessed by the powerful prayers and songs and sharing. I really look forward to moving in and hosting my Congolese neighbors. Thanks for your prayers to this end.
